Rain of change
by Firefly070995
Summary: Sakura has grown a lot since she became a genin. A oneshot character study. Kakashi/Sakura if you squint...like really hard.


**My muse has been dead for so long, but yesterday she started to stir so I quickly wrote this down before the feeling faded. I recommend listening to rainymood while reading, its what I was listening to when I wrote it, just type it into google and it'll come up :) **

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Rain always made Sakura feel better. It wasn't something anyone else knew and she didn't really spread it around. When she was in the academy it was because she didn't want to seem odd or different from anyone else. Girls such as Ino were always going on and on about how many hours they had spent that week sun bathing, trying desperately to soak in every golden drop just so that they could have a more tanned completion and win Sasuke's heart. There was a step missing there somewhere, but pointing out the flaw in Ino's seemingly perfect plan would mean being different. And that was the last thing that Sakara had wanted to be accused of. As she grew and matured it became less about what other people thought and more about what was relevant. Liking rain had nothing to do with being a Ninja and therefore wasn't important enough to mention.

So it came somewhat as a surprise when Kakashi came across his former student sitting on a roof in the civilian district, pale legs stretched out before her, soaked to the skin.

The rain was relatively warm as it still held the memory of the blistering weather The Village Hidden in the Leaves had been subjected to over the past week, but it was no summer shower. The water fell from the sky in great shimmering curtains and every now and then flashes of lightening lit the cloudy skies. Sakura sat with her head tilted back, letting the large rain drops fall on her face. Her pink hair was plastered to her head turning it a much darker colour than its normal rosy pigment. But what caught Kakashi's eye the most was the peaceful expression on her face and the relaxed position of her body, both more suited to someone who was soaking in sunshine, not rain water.

Kakashi tilted his head as he surveyed his old student, trying to understand the reasoning behind her frankly bazaar behaviour. Last time he checked Sakura was still a girl, and didn't girls have a thing about their appearances? True, Sakura was also now a strong and skilled shinobi, but sitting in the rain didn't seem to have any training purposes either, unless she was training her body for extreme weather conditions, but Kakashi could name dozens of more effective way to achieve that. And that still didn't explain why she seemed so at peace when any normal person would be uncomfortable with the amount of cold water that was obviously trickling down the back of her neck.

"Did you need something Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's voice was just loud enough for Kakashi's sensitive ears to pick it up over the sound of the rain.

"Just passing through" He replied, curving his eye in his trademark upside down U.

"Ah I see," she said as she finally turned her head away from the sky and fixed her sea green eyes on her old teacher. "I didn't know 'passing through' consisted of staring at me for five minutes." Her mouth twitched upwards in a slight smirk. One Kakashi had come to link with her getting one over him, something she obviously took great pleasure in.

Kakashi however didn't show any shame in having been caught out in his musings. "Truthfully I was just wondering why you were lying on a roof while it's raining. If you needed a shower that desperately you could have just asked."

Sakura pressed her lips together to stop the tale tale smile that was itching to form at the sliver haired mans antics, the last thing she wanted was to encourage the man, but she couldn't stop her eyes from twinkling in amusement. "Cant a girl enjoy a little rain without having her hygiene habits questioned?" she sighed in fake annoyance.

"And what exactly about this weather do you find enjoyable?" Kakashi asked with real curiosity. He himself had been on far too many missions to Rain Country and Water Country to enjoy the feeling of his normally gravity defying hair stuck to his face.

"I like the rain" Sakura replied somewhat defensively "its...its calming" her voice remained light and conversational but her cheeks coloured a little as if she were admitting something silly and frivolous.

Kakashi tilted his head again as he studied the pinkett before him. Sakura shifted slightly under his scrutiny.

"What!" she finally said after a full minute of silence between them.

"Interesting." The dog summoner said at last

"I...what?!" Sakura shook the water from her eyes before fixing her ex-teacher with a look of bafflement.

Kakashi nodded to himself before sticking his hands in his pockets and turning to walk down the disserted street. Sakura make a 'tsk' sound at the back of her throat before getting up and following her enigmatic teacher down the road. Kakashi slowed his pace slightly so that the woman wouldn't have to over compensate for his long legs.

"You know, the strong silent type isn't nearly as endearing as you seem to think it is." She grumbled as a few more minutes passed in relative silence

Kakashi just made a nonplus hum.

"_Sensei_" Sakura said in a tone that was dangerously close to whining, "You can't just leave a conversation like that, tell me what you meant."

"I just find it interesting is all," he finally answered in his infuriatingly bored tone, "I didn't think you were the sort of person to appreciate the little things in life. You think you know someone..." he trailed of lightly

Sakura's first instinct was to get angry. What sort of person did he think she was? Did he think she was shallow before? Someone who only appreciated the pretty things on the surface? Her stomach dropped when she realised that probably exactly what he thought. He had taught her through her whinny, selfish, fangirl stage. She shouldn't really be surprised; after all, a few years ago she did everything in her power to prove she was exactly those things by going after Sasuke in such a fanatical way and by being so cruel and harsh to Naruto.

She realised that she had actually pleasantly surprised the man walking beside her and what he had said was his odd way of trying to give a compliment. He approved of the person she had become. All at once the sinking sensation in her stomach was replaced by a warm glowing feeling. She felt a soft smile form on her face, which quickly turned into something more predatory.

"Have I actually surprised you Sensei? Me? Humble little Sakura Haruno? Have I actually surprised the great Copy-Cat Ninja?! The master of a thousand jutsus?!" She gasped melodramatically. "What happened to looking underneath the underneath?"

Sakura laughed at the exasperated look Kakashi shot her.

"But in all seriousness," she said shaking her head slightly, "thank you Kakashi-Sensei, even if it's only because of something as small and unimportant as liking the rain, I'm glad I've been able to set straight some of the horrible first impressions you must have of me."

The silver haired Jonin curved his eye at the young woman beside him "Yes, they were completely horrible."

Kakashi neatly dodged Sakura's half hearted attempt to punch his arm.

"Awful really," he continued calmly

"I get it."

"Not at all flattering"

"Sensei..."

"...really you can't imagine-"

"I really can."

"All that screeching-"

"Sensei!"

"Dont even get me started on the whinning-"

"You're ruining the moment."

"...we were having a moment?"

"I give up."

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**Reviews are love! Thank you for reading!**


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